11 Fibre Ropes.qxd
19/12/11
6:56 PM
Page 3
Fibre Ropes
CARE, HANDLING & MAINTENANCE
Fibres
Right hand
spin on yarns
Inspection
Rope should always be inspected prior to use to ensure there is
no excessive wear, abrasion or cuts that could cause the rope to
break prematurely.
Care In Use
Left hand
twist on strand
1. A coil should be suspended and the rope taken from the
outside of the coil by rotating it. In this way "turn" in the rope
will be avoided.
Right hand
lay on rope
3 Strand Rope
Swivel
Opening a new coil of small rope
Lay on rope
2. Where a proper mandrel or turntable is not available, it is
advisable to uncoil the rope from the centre of the coil. In
this way the protective wrappings may be retained around the
coil until the complete coil has been withdrawn. For the
normal right hand lay rope ("Z" laid), uncoiling must always
take place in an anti-clockwise direction. (This applies
whether uncoiling from inside or outside of the coil).
Clockwise uncoiling of rope will insert twist and increase the
danger of kinking.
3. Before cutting the desired length of rope, apply whippings
close to each side of the intended cut. Failure to observe this
precaution could easily render a cut length unsuitable for its
intended purpose because of excessive unlaying of the rope.
3-Strand, Hawser
Laid Z Lay
Method of Holding Calliper
4. Store ropes in a well ventilated dry atmosphere away from
heat, strong sunlight and corrosive substances.
Three strands twisted or laid together
to form the rope. This construction is
still the most commonly encountered.
Available in sizes 3mm diameter
upwards.
5. Avoid contact with chemicals unless the rope has been
supplied in a material resistant to a particular chemical
environment.
6. Don’t drag ropes over sharp, rough or dirty surfaces as
abrasive particles can penetrate the rope and damage the
fibres.
7. Avoid the build-up of excessive turn. Kinks cause permanent
damage and loss of strength. Work excessive turn over end of
rope. Never load rope to remove kinks.
Eight Strand Rope
Balance is achieved by plaiting four
left hand and four right hand strands.
This results in a tough, kink resistant
rope providing increased flexibility wet
or dry. Available in sizes 16mm
diameter and above.
8. Avoid knotting a rope for the purpose of forming an eye.
Splice the rope in the normal manner. Knots can reduce a
rope’s strength by up to 50%.
9. When used on pulleys, ensure pulley diameter is at least 5
times rope diameter. Furthermore, the groove profile should
support approximately one third of the rope’s circumference.
Incidence of rope wear and distortion will increase if these
suggestions are not adhered to.
12 Strand Rope
10. Avoid unnecessary chaffing. Protect any part of the rope in
contact with sharp edges or rough bearing surfaces.
1 Ply Strand
11. Never overload a rope. The load applied should never exceed
the Minimum Breaking Force, or in the case of lifting
equipment, the Working Load Limit. Avoid shock loads.
2 Ply Strand
249
12 strand rope generally has superior
strength to the equivalent rope in 3
or 8 strand. 12 strand rope also has
excellent abrasian resistance, is more
flexible, does not rotate or kink and is
easy to coil and handle. 12 strand rope
is fully splicable and is available in
1 ply or 2 ply strand.
Fibre Ropes
Three Strand Rope